Iris
by DisneyStar4Ever
Summary: Based off the song Iris by Goo Goo Dolls. Mordecai reflects back on Margaret's boyfriend, Angel, at Open Mic Night. Mordaret.


**Iris**

Mordecai presses his hands up against the glass window of the coffee shop, his eyes desperately searching for the red robin who works here nearly every day, serving customer after customer.

He finally spots her and he can't help but stare. She's perfect in his eyes, though she may not be in others. She's carrying a tray of coffee cups, a few places scattered with cake crumbs carefully balanced along with the cups, and when she gets to the back, she dumps the plates and cups into a sink filled with hot bubbly water and begins to wash.

As he continues to have his hands (and now face) pressed up against the glass, his brain throws out thought after thought, the two decisions whether or not to go into the coffee shop becoming even more difficult to choose.

The sweet smell of chocolate cake wafts through the door as a man steps in the shop and the door quickly closes, bringing the scent back into the coffee shop and away from Mordecai, who sighs and feels himself step towards the door. He reaches out a wing to grasp the door handle but stops.

For some strange reason, Margaret's first boyfriend Angel comes to mind.

Maybe it was the way his golden hair shone in the lights at Open Mic Night? Or the blue plaid shirt and blue jeans he wore? Although simple, the hair and eyes were enough to catch a woman's attention. Or perhaps it was his voice that made them stand up and clap? It didn't matter about the hair, or the clothes. His voice was the key. And when he finally strum that last string, and stood proudly with his eyes closed, letting himself bask in the wild applause that followed, Mordecai wondered why such a guy could be a hit. Aside from his voice, his looks is what kept his confidence to get up on stage. Women would be transfixed with his golden hair and deep blue eyes but once he sung a line of a song, they couldn't look away and soon, every women was looking up on stage at Angel.

When Angel had finished, Mordecai muttered an attempted "Yeah", following Rigbys "Dang!"

The churning knots in the blue jays gut didn't help and he clutched his stomach, groaning as him and Rigby walked back into the back room where everyone else had been, bursting with nerves about getting up on stage and singing till their hearts content at that special someone out in the audience.

It never occurred to Mordecai that Margaret was in the audience. Well, it had, but once he got on stage and began singing, the thought melted and dissolved into confidence.

When Margaret said, "That was really cool what you said up there", Mordecai couldn't help but smile. Sure it wasn't a great piece of feedback and yeah, it was sorta cheesy, but the blue jay accepted it. He replied with "Thanks Margaret." And he meant the words, even if it hadn't sounded so. It came out as a usual "Thank you" but to him, it meant a genuine thank you.

Mordecai watched as the man him and Rigby had seen earlier up on stage with the golden hair and blue plaid shirt wrapped his arm around Margaret.

"Oh hey, have you met my new boyfriend Angel?"

So this was the guy who had sung on stage moments before. Mordecai stood stock still, forcing himself to watch Angels glazed eyes drift to Margaret.

"Come on baby," he said, "We don't wanna miss our dinner reservations." He sung the last line like a true musician and is if a switch had been triggered, Margaret smiled.

"Oh yeah." She moved to turn. "See ya guys."

Margaret and Angel turned, Margarets arm full wrapped around Angels neck, her hand resting on his shoulder. "Oh Angel," Margaret said, "You have such a great voice."

And then they were gone. Mordecai felt the familiar brick sink in his stomach once the fact of Margaret having a boyfriend had sunk in. He saw Rigby out of the corner of his eyes, but he dared not look at him, fearing the small raccoon would see the hurt buried deep beneath his eyes.

"Maybe you should've just kept lip synching," Rigby said flatly.

Mordecai kept his eyes on the door, his mind having stopped working. Rigby didn't notice, he himself too absorbed in what had just happened. For a moment, none of the two said a word, just kept looking at the door at the front of the coffee shop, listening to the mindless chatter being wrapped around them.

When Mordecai finally tore his eyes from the door to the small raccoon standing hext to him, the scene he had just witnessed came flooding back and he exhaled through his teeth.

"Come on Rigby," Mordecai said, turning to the back room, "Lets go get our stuff and go back to the park."

"What about Pops, Skips and Benson?"

"What about them?" Mordecai asked, Rigby having caught up to him.

"Well...didn't they come to Open Mic Night?"

Mordecai shrugged, "Probably." He was in no state to elaborate or give a straight answer, since his mind was only just collecting its bearings.

Rigby sighed as he shrugged one shoulder. He didn't press the matter of his friends sitting and watching their perfomance. And the surprise that went through Rigby when he heard a loned clap echo throughout the room, then when everyone began cheering for them, Rigby could faintly hear the voice that belonged to the clapper and the shock that ripped throughout him made him smile, only a little.

As Mordecai walked up the stage stairs, his eyes caught the microphone and he willed his feet to move towards it. But he just stared at the mic till he felt a furry hand on his arm. Looking down, he saw it to be Rigby. In his right hand, he held Mordecais black guitar, Rigbys own red guitar being strapped around the raccoons body.

"Don't worry man," Rigby said, smiling kindly, "You'll get her next time."

Except there never was a next time. Mordecai let his head dip low as he felt the concrete beneath his feet, the sweet smell of chocolate cake long gone now. His eyes drifted up then widened when he saw the interior of the coffee shop.

Everyone had gone from the cafe, all except Margaret, who was cleaning a table that had coffee stains and cake crumbs on it. Eileen, he noticed as his eyes slowly searched the rest of the cafe for any sign of another movement, was nowhere to be seen, and Mordecai silently cheered.

He felt himself move towards the door, his hand once again reaching out to the handle. A smile appeared on his lips as he pulled open the door. When Margaret heard the jingle of the bell ringing throughout the coffee shop, she looked up. Her eyes crinkled when she saw Mordecai and she smiled, a warm, genuine smile, only meant for him. Not Angel, not Slasher, not Chad, not Bill, him.

Margaret dropped the rag and walked towards him. When she reached him, she laughed brightly and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"It's so good to see you Mordecai," she said.

Mordecai smiled and let out a slight chuckle. "Yeah."

Maybe there was a next time after all.


End file.
